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Looking to buy my first MR2, preferably a turbo with no engine or trans, where can I look?
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Hey everyone, first time post here, just trying to find some information.

I currently drive a bunch of cars, but the one closest to me rn is a 1998 toyota camry with a 1mz-fe engine and the e153 transmission with no LSD. The car is getting up in age, there's ~50 lbs of bondo from when my brother had to defend himself from a boulder, and repairs are getting too expensive considering the car is worth jack shit. The engine though, is perfect. yes some minor leaks, but always meticulously maintained, no obvious issues, and I always use the best valued parts and materials I can find. The transmission is also in pretty good condition (just changed the transmission oil after doing a half axle replacement and even though it was old, it was clean). I love the engine and transmission, but the chassis I am ready to get rid of. because of all of this, I am currently in the market for a SW20 Toyota MR2. I have a couple of questions regarding how to move forward with it all.

  1. Where the hell does one find a SW20 MR2 with no engine and transmission? I honestly don't care if its dinged up or needs a little TLC since I can take care of that, but I just cant find anywhere for the life of me that has a link to one. I fully expect to trailer it back to my state, I just don't know where to look. yes I know about the mr2 forums but its rare to find what I'm looking for there (and ebay). I'd prefer the ones with snap oversteer (pre-'93 iirc) because reasons (unless there's a really good reason to get a later model one)
  2. Any thing I should take care of when I have the motor and transmission out? I plan on putting an LSD into the E153, the transmission doesn't need any major overhauls. I need to replace the clutch anyways and I was going to rebuild the engine (I want reliability, the motor already has 270k on it) so are there any tips or suggestions to make this engine and transmission close to bullet proof? I will be using this vehicle in fairly rough terrain and I might want a tiny bit more power in the future, so I want there to be no issues. I want to be able to jump in it at any time and do a road trip without worrying about the car. This will happen when I find the MR2, so I have time to save up for everything I want (and I have like 12 other cars that I need to get up, running, and sold/trade first. not looking forward to trying to find parts and repair documentation for a Merc 250s)
  3. I need to do a clutch replacement anyways, are MR2 clutches compatible with my setup? I want a Kevlar clutch and I find them a lot easier for MR2's than Camrys. I am also planning on going with a lighter flywheel too, but idk if its worth it (Flywheel needs to be replaced anyways)
  4. Turbo vs NA chassis: I understand the front brakes are bigger on the turbo W20's than the NA ones, are there any other differences between the NA and Turbo? I plan on putting some good tires and brakes because its always more important to stop a car than it is to make it go vroom.
  5. I really like rally, and I love driving. I want this build to work well on tarmac, gravel, and dirt. I also live in the state with the worst road conditions ever so I need to beef up the suspension. Does anyone have recommendations or am I going to just have to learn how to weld and fabricate and buy myself a mill and lathe to do this (it would be a perfect excuse to get what I've been wanting, and I know enough about machining to get .001 reliably)
  6. is it W20 or SW20? I thought the chassis code was SW20.

This is my first time doing an engine swap, but I am more than confident that I can do it right (and way too damn OCD and ADHD to allow myself to make mistakes, I have a term for it, cuntuple checking). I have seen a good amount of people do this swap and I have been dying to do the same and join the ranks. I just want a good road trip car where I can load myself, some luggage, my dog, go visit my family on both coasts, and have some fun on the journey. Also in the way future I have an idea of giving the mr2 a front wheel drive electric motor using a tiny setup to make an AWD hybrid, but that's plans for the faaar future (and if any ecocar comp wants me and my stupid ideas).

Any input would be greatly appreciated, I'm taking my time with this project, I want this car to last so I want to do everything right. These cars have been around for 25 years, so I feel like there's already good recipes available for a reliable build. I'm just having trouble finding that information and my time hasn't been as free as I want. Thank you in advance, I look forward to hearing everyone!

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1 year ago